Counting machine for paper money and the like



March 19, 1935. E. P. DONNELLAN COUNTING MACHINE FOR PAPER MONEY AND THE LIKE Filed July 14, 1931 5 S heets-Sheet l INVENTOR fimrdflhwl/azz,

. ATTORNEY March 19, 1935. DONNELLAN 1,994,636

COUNTING MACHINE FOR PAPER MONEY AND THE LIKE Filed July 14, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT OR March 1935- E. P. DONNELLAN I COUNTING MACHINE FOR PAPER MONEY AND' THE LIKE Filed July 14, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 it v March 19, 1935. E. P. DONNELLAN COUNTING MACHINE FOR PAPER MONEY AND THE LIKE Filed July 14, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR B Y fill ward Fla/Mk1;

A TTQRN E Y March '19, 1935. E P, D NNELLAN 1,994,636

COUNTING MACHINE FOR PAPER MONEY AND THE LIKE Filed July 14, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 i; 4 /0 A lfl/ /Z0 M /4 T T? T T a a? T W 2 4 44 45 4k 7 22 i 3 l Z3 44 4:;

Patented Mar. 19, 1935 PATENT OFFICE COUNTING MACHINE FOR PAPER MONE AND THE LIKE l Edward P. Donnellan, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Standard-Echnson Company, Inc., Brooklyn, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application July 14, 1931, Serial No. 550,660

12 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for counting paper money, tickets, or other sheet-like forms; and the invention has reference more par ticularly, to a novel machine, capable of being power driven, and through which paper money or the like may be passed so as to register an accurate count thereof.

lhe invention has for its principal object to provide a comparatively simple machine through which the material to be counted may be passed, and, in passing therethrough, caused to actuate a register to tally the count thereof.

The invention has for a further object to provide means for gripping and propelling individual pieces through the machine with register actuating effect, means being provided to automatically stop the machine if more than a single piece is presented for engagement by the gripping and propelling means.

The invention has for a further object to provide means to automatically stop the machine when a predetermined desired number of pieces have been counted.

The invention has for another object to provide a novel means to receive and stack the counted pieces.

Other objects of the invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be understood from the following detailed description of the same.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:-

Fig. 1 is an elevation, looking toward one side of the machine; Fig. 2 is an elevation, looking toward the opposite side of the machine; Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section through the machine; Fig. i is a horizontal section, taken on line 44 in Fig. 3, with the feed-table removed; Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section, taken on line 55 in Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary vertical longitudinal section, showing the operation of the automatic stop means operative if mor than a single piece is presented to and engaged by the gripping and propelling means; Figs. 7 and 8 are fragmentary views of the register actuating means in part, showing the lock for stopping the machine when a predetermined lumber of pieces have been passed through and have been counted by the machine; and Fig. 9 is a wiring diagram showing an arrangement of the motor circuit of the machine, as related to the controlling make and break devices.

Similar characters of reference are employed in the. above-described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring to the drawings, the reference character 10 indicates a pair of laterally spaced apart side frame-plates, which are suitably connected together to provide the supporting framework for the operating parts of the machine. Said side frame-plates are provided with legportions 11 upon which they stand.

Journaled in and extending transversely between said frame-plates 10 is a drive-shaft 12. Fixed on one end of said drive-shaft 12 is a friction clutch element 13, having a facing 14 of suitable friction material, such e. g. as fibre. Rotatable on said drive-shaft 12 is a pulley 15 having a clutch face 16 to frictionally engage with the friction facing 14 of said clutch element 13. Fixed on said drive-shaft 12, against endwise movement, is a seating abutment 17.

Arranged between said seating abutment and said pulley 15 is a compression spring 18 adapted to maintain the clutch face 16 of said pulley 15 in operative engagement with the facing 14 of said clutch-element 13. Pivotally mounted on a cross-bolt 19, extending between the side frame-plates 10, is a carrier-plate 20, upon which is supported an electric motor 21. Journaled in a bearing post 22 connected with said carrier-plate is a spindle 23, having at its inner end a worm-wheel 24 which meshes with a drive worm 25 fixed upon and actuated by the armature shaft of said motor 21. Fixed on the outer end of said spindle 23 is a drive pulley 26. Running over and between said drive pulley 26 and pulley 15 is a drive belt 27. Said drive belt 27 is kept tight by the weight of the motor as supported by the pivoted carrier-plate 20, as will be obvious.

Fixed on said drive-shaft 12, in laterally spaced apart relation, and located between said side frame-plates 10, are a pair of propeller wheels 28. J ournaled in and between vertically yieldable bearing-boxes 29, which are supported in ways 30 formed'in a frame-piece 31 fixed to and extending between said side frame-plates 10, is a shaft 32. Said shaft 32 is disposed parallel to and above said drive-shaft 12. Fixed on said shaft 32 are a pair of propeller wheels 33 adapted to yieldingly engage said propeller wheels 28. Said propeller wheels 33 are preferably provided with peripheral facings 34 of resilient material, such e. g. as rubber. Said shaft 32 and its propeller wheels 33 are yieldingly thrust downward, to engage the latter with said propeller wheels 28, by a tensioning plate 35 which is thrustingly engaged by a compression spring 36 suitably backed against a fixed transverse bar 37 extending between said side frame-plates 10.

J ournaled in vertically adjustable bearing boxes 38, movable in ways 39 formed in said side frame-plates 10, is a driven shaft 40. Said shaft 40 is disposed in advance of said drive-shaft 13 and parallel thereto. Fixed on said driven shaft 40 is a feed wheel 41. Means are provided for vertically adjusting said bearing boxes 38 to in turn raise and lower said feed-wheel 41 for purposes to be subsequently more fully disclosed.

This adjusting means comprises screw-shanks 42' aflixed to said bearing boxes 38 so as to extend downwardly therefrom. Said screw-shanks 42 are threaded through nut-members 43 which are rotatably engaged in housing members 44, but held by said housing members against vertical displacement. Said housing members are suitably fixed to said side frame-plates 10. Said nut-members 43 have toothed peripheries to mesh with adjusting Worms 45, whereby the nut members are turned in desired direction to raise or lower said screw-shanks 42 as may be required. Journaled in and between said housing members 44 is a rotatable spindle 46 upon which are fixed said worms 45. Fixed upon an exteriorly projecting end of said spindle 46 is a finger piece or knob 47 by which the spindle 46 and its worms may be turned in either direction at will.

A friction drive transmission means is arranged between said drive-shaft 12 and said driven shaft 40, whereby the latter and its feed wheel are driven from the former. In one form, this friction drive transmission comprises a friction wheel 48 fixed on an exteriorly projecting end of said drive-shaft 12 at one side of the machine. Pivotally engaged on said drive-shaft end are guide-blocks 49, upon which is slidably mounted a yoke-frame 50. J ournaled across the lower free end of said yoke-frame 50 is a shaft 51 upon which is mounted an idler friction-wheel 52. Spring means 53 interposed between said guideblocks 49 and the upper end of said yoke-frame 50, yieldingly move said yoke-frame to hold the periphery of said friction wheel 52 in engagement with the periphery of said friction wheel 48, whereby the former is driven by the latter. Fixed on an exteriorly projecting end of said driven shaft 46 is a third friction wheel 54. Spring means 55 thrustingly bears against the lower free end of said yoke-frame 50 to yieldingly thrust said idler friction wheel 52 into driving relation to the periphery of said third friction Wheel 54. A suitable anchor post 56 is fixed to the adjacent side frame-plate to support and back said spring means 55.

Journaled in and between said side frameplates 10, preferably forwardly of and below the feed wheel or driven shaft 40, is a counting shaft 57. Said counting shaft 5'7 drives a register device 58 through interconnecting gearing 59. Said register device 58 is affixed to a supporting bracket 66 connected with the exterior side of one of said side frame-plates 10. Fixed on said counting shaft 57 is a counting ratchet-wheel 61. J ournaled in and between said side frameplates 16, between said driven shaft 40 and said counting shaft 57, is a fulcrum shaft 62 to which is afiixed a counting shaft actuating lever 63, one arm 64 of which extends forwardly in upwardly inclined position to locate its free end somewhat above the pinch of the propeller wheels 28-33, and so as to lie between the engaging sets of said Wheels. Preferably said lever arm 64 is provided at its free end with a transversely disposed depresser plate 65 to receive actuating engagement of paper money, or like pieces to be counted, as the same are propelled through the machine by said propeller wheels. The oppositely extending arm 66 of said lever 63 extends over the counting shaft 5'7 adjacent to said ratchet-wheel 61. Said lever arm 66 is weighted by the Weight portion 67, or is otherwise overbalanced to yieldingly maintain the lever arm 64 in the normal described up-raised position. If desired, an adjustable stop means, such as the stop-screw 68 may be provided to engage the hub of said ratchet wheel, to thus determine the normal position of the actuating lever 63 and its arm 64. Pivoted to the lever arm 66 is a drive pawl 69 which operatively engages with the toothed periphery of said ratchet-wheel 61; said pawl being yieldingly biased toward the ratchetwheel by means of the spring 70.

Journaled in and between said side frameplates 10, adjacent to said counting'shaft 57, is a rock-shaft 71. Supported by said rock-shaft and counting shaft is a bracket-plate 72 arranged adjacent to said ratchet-wheel 61. Pivotally connected with said bracket-plate '72 is a springbiased check-pawl 73 adapted to engage said ratchet-wheel 61 to prevent back-lash and reverse turning thereof. Fixed to said bracketplate 72 are a pair of suitably insulated electric circuit make and break contact blades '74 and 75, the free ends of which are sufficiently resilient to tend to move apart to circuit interrupting relation when free from restraint, but which may be moved into mutual contact to close an electric circuit to be hereinafter more fully described. This circuit make and break means, including said contact blades '74 and 75 functions in connection with the means for automatically stopping the machine when a predetermined number of bills or other pieces have been counted by the machine. This automatic stop means comprises a drive disk 76 which is fixed upon said counting-shaft 57 and a lock-disk 7'7 which is loose on the shaft. Said lock-disk 77 is coupled with said drive disk 76 by a pin 78 which is affixed to but projects laterally from the adjacent face of the latter disk through a slot '79 provided in said lock-disk 77. By this pin and slot coupled connection between the drive disk and lock-disk, the latter is capable of a limited rotative movement or play relative to the former. Said drive-disk is normally maintained in driving relation to said lock-disk by a spring 80, one end of which is anchored to said pin 78 of the drivedisk and the other end of which is connected with a pin 81 projecting from the lock-disk. Said spring tends to yieldably maintain the lock-disk in driven relation to the drive disk. Formed in the periphery of said lock-disk is an indented stop-notch 82. Fixed on said rockshaft 71 is a trip-arm 83 which is disposed between the periphery of said lock-disk 77 and said make and break contact blades 74-75. On the one side of said trip-arm 83 is a laterally projecting stop-lug 84 which operatively engages and rides on the periphery of said lock-disk. On the other side of said trip-arm 83 is a laterally projecting push-pin 85, of insulating material, which, when said stop-lug 84 is engaged with the periphery of said lock-disk to normally swing outward said trip-arm 83 is pressed against the contact blade '75 to hold the same in circuit closing contact with the contact blade 74. Also fixed on said rock-shaft is a depending release lever 86.

Spring means 87 normally maintains said release lever 86 in initial position, while at the same time turning said trip-lever to cause said stop-lug 84 to bear tensionally upon the periphery of said lock-disk '77. The operation of the automatic stop mechanism above described is as follows:--

Assuming e. g. that it is desired to count bills to form bundles of fifty; the counting ratchetwheel 61 is provided with fifty teeth, so as to make one complete revolution when the actuating lever 63 has been successively oscillated by the passing of fifty bills through the machine in the manner to be subsequently described. Each oscillation of said actuating lever 63 operates, through the drive pawl 69, to advance the ratchet wheel for the distance of one tooth, thus turning the counting shaft 57 to transmit, through the gearing 59, a unit registering impulse to the register 58. As the fiftieth bill is passed in operating relation to the actuating lever 63 to turn the ratchet wheel and counting shaft, the lock-disk 77, which has been rotated in company with the ratchet-wheel 61 by the drive disk 76, carries its stop-notch 82 into alignment with the stop-lug 84 of the trip-arm 83,. so that the stop-lug enters the stop-notch, thereby arresting the lock-disk (see Fig. '7), the drive disk 76 carrying ahead the pin 78 against the tension of spring 80 for the distance of the slot 79 which is formed in the lock-disk. The movement of said stop-lug into the stop-notch, permits the trip-arm 83, under urge of spring means 8'2, to swing inwardly, thereby carrying the push-pin away from the contact blade '25, whereby the latter by virtue of its inherent tension, moves away from contact blade 74, thus interrupting the electric circuit through which the motor 21 is supplied with operating current, as will hereinafter be more fully described. The motor will thus be caused to stop and the whole machine action will be thereby halted. Means, manipulatable by the operator of the machine, is provided for again starting the machine after such automatic stoppage thereof. This means comprises a slide-bar 88, slidably supported in bearings 89 connected with one of said side frame-plates 10. The outer end of said slide-bar extends outwardly from the forward end of the machine, and is provided with a fingerpiece or knob 90 for manipulating the same. Fixed on said slide-bar is a collar having a shoulder 91 operatively engageable with the free end of said release lever 86. Said slide-bar is yieldably biased to normal outwardly moved position by spring means 92. To again start the machine, after the automatic stop of the same as above described, the operator pushes inwardly said slide-bar 88, thereby carrying the collar shoulder 91 against the release lever 86 to swing the same inwardly. Such inward swinging movement of the release lever 86 turns outwardly the rockshaft 5'1 and thus s :ings outwardly the trip-arm 33 so as to withdraw the stop-lug 84 from the stop-notch 82 of the lock-disk 77. Upon such disengagement of the stop-lug from the lockdisk, the latter is caused to make limited rotative forward movement under the pull of the spring 80, such movement being limited by the length of the slot '79 through which the drive disk pin 78 projects. This limited rotative movement of the lock-disk 77 carries the stop-notch 82 out of alignment with the stop-lug 84, so that the latter engages the periphery of the lock-disl '77, whereby the latter is free for renewed movement as passage of bills through the machine is renewed (see Fig. 8). The resumption of normal outswung position by said trip-arm 83, carries the push-pin 85 into engagement with the contact blade '75 to press the same toward and maintain the same in circuit closing relation to the com tact blade '74, thus renewing the supply of cur rent to the motor 21, whereby the machine is again started for further counting operations as bills or the like are fed to and through the same.

One of the most important features of the bill counting machine of this invention lies in the provision of means for automatically stopping the machine in the event more than one bill or piece at a time seeks to pass to the propeller wheels 28-33 and the actuating lever 63 of the counting mechanism. This means is cooperative with the feed-wheel 41 and comprises the following arrangement:

Eccentrically pivoted, as on the eccentric fulcrum bearing 93 supported above the feed-wheel 41 by the frame piece 31, or in any other suitable manner, is a gauge member 94 having a preferably curvilinear gripping surface 95 opposed to said feed-wheel 41. Connected with said gauge member, and extending upwardly from the pivotal support thereof, is an arm 96 on which is carried a suitably electrically insulated contact element 97. This contact element 97 normally engages, in electrical circuit closing relation therewith, a fixed contact element 98 mounted on a fixed insulator piece 99 attached to said frame piece 31. Spring means 100 arranged between a fixed portion of said frame-piece 31 and said arm 96 normally but yieldably presses said arm and its contact element 97, so as to normally maintain the latter in engagement with the fixed contact element 98. Pivotally connected with said gauge member 94 is a yoke frame 101, in which is journaled an auxiliary feed roller 102. Said gauge member 94 is suitably cut away to receive said roller 102. Said roller 102 is caused to yieldably engage the surface of the feed wheel 41 by the turning of said yoke-frame 101 about its pivot under the urge of a pull spring 103, which is connected by one end to the tail arm 104 of said yoke-frame, and which is fixedly connected by its other end to said gauge member.

The feed wheel 41 is adjusted, through manipulation of the above described adjustable bearing supports for the driven shaft 40, to space its periphery away from the gripping surface 95 of said gauge element a sufiicient distance to pass between the latter and the feed wheel 41 a piece or bill of given thickness. If during the operation of the machine, the operator inadvertently presents more than one piece or bill to the feedwheel action, or a plurality of pieces or bills become overlapped, the increased thickness of material comes into engagement with the gripping surface 95 of the gauge member 94, with the result that the forward motion of the feed wheel 41 is imparted to said gauge member, causing the same to turn on its eccentric fulcrum bearing. As the gauge member 94 is thus turned, owing to the eccentric path of movement followed by its gripping surface 95, the latter is moved increasingly toward the periphery of the feed-wheel, thereby firmly pinching the material attempting to pass between the feed-wheel and gauge member. The inward swinging movement thus irn parted to the gauge member, produces an outward swinging movement of the arm 96 thereof which carries the contact element 97 away from the fixed contact element 98, thereby interrupting the motor circuit, and bringing the machine to a stop (see Fig. 6).

The operator may easily release the engaged plural thickness of material, by pulling outwardly thereupon, the gauge member 94 readily yielding to such action by reason of its eccentricity which causes the gripping surface thereof to move away from the periphery of said feed wheel 41, when said gauge member is swung outwardly. Upon such release of the en-v gaged material, the gauge member will resume its normal initial position, whereby the contact elements 9'7 and 98 are again engaged together to close the motor circuit, whereupon the machine will automatically resume operation ready to receive and pass with counting effect properly presented single pieces or bills. By this arrangement all risk of producing miscounts of bills or the like are avoided, and the accuracy of the counting action is assured.

Means is provided at the rear or discharge end of the machine to receive and stack into segregated bundles of predetermined number the counted pieces or bills. This means comp-rises a base member 105 which is connected with and extends rearwardly from the rear or discharge end of the machine. Rising from this base memher 105 is a stub-shaft or journal 106, to the upper end of which is fixed the bottom plate 107 of a rotatable cradle, having upstanding therefrom cradle posts 108 spaced ninety degrees apart around said base plate, thus providing therebetween receiving spaces intersecting each other at right angles, said receiving spaces being selec tively aligned with the longitudinal axis of the machine by imparting quarter turns to said cradle. Manipulatable means are provided for turning said cradle, simultaneously with the restarting of the machine after automatic stoppage of the latter upon completion of a count of a predetermined number of pieces or bills. This means comprises an oscillatable plate 109 pivoted on said stub-shaft or journal 106 below the cradle base plate. Pivoted on said oscillatable plate 109 is a pull-pawl 110 which operatively engages a ratchet wheel 111 fixed on said stub-shaft or journal 106, said pawl being biased to operatively engage said racket wheel 111 by spring means 112. Pivoted on said base member 105 isa rocklever 113, one arm of which is pivotally coupled with the rearward end of said slide-bar 88, and the other end of which is interconnected through a link 114 with the free end of said oscillatable plate 109. If desired a balancing slide-rod 115 may be employed, the same being slidably supported in guide-blocks 116 mounted on a side frame-plate 10 of the machine, the rearward end of said slide-rod 115 being pivotally coupled with said link 114. In order to assure proper alignment of the receiving spaces of the cradle so as to be positioned to receive the pieces or bills discharged by the machine, the bottom plate 10'. of the cradle is provided with a stop-boss 117 having angular stop faces thereof operatively and yieldably engaged by a leaf-spring 118 (see Fig. 4).

Arranged between the side frame-plates 10, in front of said feed-wheel 41. is a feed table or plate 119, over which the operator may slide or pass the pieces or bills to be counted so as to engage the feed-wheel therewith. Rearwardly of the propeller wheels 2833 is a guard pla e 120 which extends between the side frame-plates 10, the forward end of said guard plate. overhanging the pinch of said propeller wheels above the depresser plate 65 of the lever arm 64. This guard plate serves to deflect the bills or pieces, when discharged from the propeller wheels downwardly and into a receiving space of the abovedescribed stacking cradle.

Referring to Fig. 9, there is shown one arrangement of motor circuit suitable for connecting the motor and the controlling circuit breaker devices of the machine with a source of electric current supply. A suitable coupling connection 121 is provided for plugging in the service lines 122 to the machine. From one pole of the connection 121, a circuit wire 123 leads to the contact blade '74 of automatic stop circuit breaker, from the other contact blade '75 of which extends a circuit wire 124 to one pole of the motor 21. From the other pole of the motor 21 a circuit wire 125 leads to. one pole of any suitable form of manual shut-off switch 126. From the other pole of said shut-oil switch 126, a circuit wire 127 leads to contact element 98 of the gauge member controlled circuit breaker, from the other contact element 9'7 of which extends a circuit wire 128 back to the other pole of the coupling connection 121. It will thus be seen that the automatic stop circuit breaker, the manual shut-011 switch, motor and gauge member controlled circuit breaker are all connected in series in the motor circuit, and consequently operation of either of the circuit breakers or of the shut-01f switch will break the circuit to stop the motor, as the case may be.

In the operation of the machine, the bills to be counted are fed one by one to the feed-wheel 41. The bill is engaged between the feed-wheel 41 and auxiliary feed roller 102, so as to be gripped therebetween and, owing to the driven motion of the feed-wheel 41, thereby fed forward until the advancing end of the bill is gripped by the pinch of the propeller wheels 2833. The propeller wheels 28-33 are preferably arranged to travel at a somewhat higher speed than the feed-wheel 41, and consequently when the advance end of the bill is engaged by the former it is pulled flatly taut, and is thereby caused to press down the depresser plate 65 of the counting shaft actuating lever 63, whereby the latter is oscillated to actuate the counting and register mechanism in the matter already above set forth. As the bill thus counted is discharged rearwardly and outwardly from the machine it is shot into an aligned receiving space of the stacking cradle, to fall ilatly to the bottom thereof. As each successive bill is thus passed through the machine, counted and discharged it stacks or piles up in said receiving space of the cradle, until the last of a predetermined number of such bills has been counted and discharged, and the automatic stop circuit breaker actuated to interrupt the motor circuit and thus stop the motor. As theoperator presses inward the slide-bar 88 to release and close the automatic stop circuit breaker so as to again start the machine for resumption of counting operations, such inward sliding movement of the slide-bar 88 operates, through the rock-lever 113, link 114, and oscillatable plate 109, to turn, by means of the pull pawl 110 and ratchet wheel 111, the cradle through ninety degrees or one-quarter turn. Such turning of the cradle disposes the stack or pile of deposited counted bills to a position at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the machine, whereby the next counted batch of bills discharged from the machine will be deposited in the intersecting receiving space crosswise of previously deposited batch of bills. It will. thus be obvious that successively deposited batches of bills, each containing the desired predetermined number, Will be kept segregated one from the other until removed from the cradle for banding or other treatment.

From the above description it will be apparent that the above described invention provides a relatively simple and yet eificient and accurate counting machine, for counting paper money, or other pieces of material of similar character; and, furthermore, accurate counting into bundles of a desired predetermined number may be rapidly and efficiently accomplished by the machine, safe-guard being provided against the passage of more than one bill or piece at a time in counting actuation of the counting mechanism.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention and have described the same in the above specification merely in preferred form and by way of example, but obviously many alterations and variations may be made therein and in its mode of operation, which will still be comprised within its spirit. Generally speaking, I desire it to be understood that I do not limit myself to any specific form or embodiment except in so far as is defined in the herefollowing claims.

I claim:

1. In a machine of the kind described, opposed driven propeller wheels to engage and pass a bill or the like, an electric motor, a current supply circuit serving said motor, transmission means for driving said propeller wheels from said motor, a counting wheel, a counting wheel operating means adapted to be actuated by a bill while the latter is under propulsion by said propeller wheels, means to lock said counting wheel upon completion of the count of a predetermined number of bills, and a circuit breaker means in said motor circuit adapted to be actuated by said locking means.

2. In a machine of the kind described, opposed propeller wheels to engage and pass a bill or the like therebetween, a feed-wheel means to deliver a bill to said propeller wheels, an electric motor, a current supply circuit serving said motor, transmission means for driving said propeller wheels and said feed-Wheel means at relative speeds whereby the speed of the propeller wheels is somewhat higher than that of the feed wheel, an eccentrically rotative rearwardly yieldable gauge member cooperative with said feedwheel means and adapted, by jamming action relative to said feed-wheel, to arrest passage to the propeller Wheels of a plurality of accidentally superposed bill thicknesses, a circuit breaker means in said motor circuit, the movable contact element of said circuit breaker means being controlled by said gauge member, a counting wheel, a counting Wheel operating means adapted to be actuated by a bill stretched from said feed-wheel means while the latter is under propulsion by said propeller wheels, means to lock said counting wheel operating means upon completion of the count of a predetermined number of bills, and a second circuit breaker means in said motor circuit, the movable contact member of said second circuit breaker means being controlled by said locking means.

3. In a bill counting machine having driven propeller Wheels to engage and pass a bill or the like into actuating engagement with the operating lever of a pawl and ratchet counting wheel means, a shaft for said counting wheel means, means to lock said shaft and counting Wheel means against further movement upon completion of the count of a predetermined number of bills, comprising a drive disk fixed on said shaft, a lock-disk loose on said shaft for limited independent rotative movement relative to said drive disk, a yieldable connection between said drive-disk and said lock-disk, said lock-disk having a stop notch in its periphery, a stop means automatically engageable with said stopnotch, and manipulatable means to release said stop-means.

4. In a bill counting machine having electric motor driven propeller Wheels to engage and pass a bill or the like into actuating engagement with the operating lover of a pawl and ratchet counting Wheel means, a shaft for said counting wheel means, means to lock said shaft and counting wheel means against further movement upon completion of the count of a prede termined number of bills and simultaneously interrupt the motor circuit to stop the machine, comprising a drive disk fixed on said shaft, 2. lock-disk loose on said shaft for limited independent rotative movement relative to said drive disk, a yieldable connection between said drive disk and said lock-disk, said lock-disk having a stop-notch in its periphery, a circuit breaker having normally separated contact arms, a pivoted trip-arm intermediate said lock-disk and said circuit breaker, said trip-arm having means on one side cooperable with said circuit breaker and means on the other side cooperable with said lock-disk.

5. In a bill counting machine having electric motor driven propeller wheels to engage and pass a bill or the like into actuating engagement with the operating lever of a pawl and ratchet counting wheel means, a shaft for said counting wheel means, means to lock said shaft and counting Wheel means against further movement upon completion of the count of a predetermined number of bills and simultaneously interrupt the motor circuit to stop the machine, comprising a drive disk fixed on said shaft, a lock-disk loose on said shaft for limited independent rotative movement relative to said drive disk, a yieldable connection between said drive disk and said lock-disk, said lock-disk having a stop-notch in its periphery, a

circuit breaker having normally separated contact arms, a pivoted trip-arm intermediate said lockdisk and said circuit breaker, said triparm having means on one side cooperable with said circuit breaker and means on the other side cooperable with said lock-disk, said trip-arm being automatically movable to lock-disk engaged and circuit breaker interrupting position, and manipulatable means to return said trip-arm to lookdisk releasing and circuit breaker closing position.

6. In a bill counting machine having driven bill propelling means and counting means actuated by propelled bills, automatic means cooperative with said counting means for stopping the machine upon completion of the count of a predetermined number of bills, manipulataoie means to release said stop means, adjustable means to receive and stack counted bills, and means actuated by said stop release means to shift the position of said bill receiving and stacking means to segregate successively deposited stacks of bills of predetermined number one from another.

7. An adjustable stacking means to receive bills discharged by a bill counting mechanism, comprising a cradle rotatable about a vertical axis having transverse angularly intersecting stack receiving spaces, manipulatable means for imparting rotative movement to said cradle, and

cans for yieldably holding said cradle to selectively dispose a stack receiving space in alignment with the path of discharge of bills from the counting mechanism. I

8. In a bill counting machine having opposed driven propeller wheels to engage and pass a bill in actuating engagement with counting means, a driven feed wheel in advance of said propeller wheels, an eccentrically rotative gauge'member opposed to said feed wheel, said gauge member being normally spaced relative to said feed wheel to provide clearance for passage of a single bill therebetween but adapted to be engaged by superimposed bills whereby rotative movement is imparted to said gauge member to jam said feed wheel and prevent progress of said bills to said propeller wheels.

9. In a bill counting machine having opposed driven propeller wheels to engage and pass a bill in actuating engagement with counting means, a driven feed wheel in advance of said propeller Wheels, an eccentrically rotative gauge member opposed to said feed wheel, said gauge member being normally spaced relative to said feed wheel to provide clearance for passage of a single bill therebetween but adapted to be engaged by superimposed bills whereby rotative movement is imparted to said gauge member to jam said feed wheel and prevent progress of said bills to said propeller wheels, and an auxiliary iced roller carried by said gauge member and yieldably movable in relation thereto and for impingement upon said feed wheel.

10. In abill counting machine having opposed propeller wheels to engage and pass a bill in actuating engagement with counting means, a driven feed wheel in advance of said propeller wheels, an electric motor, a current supply circuit serving said motor, transmission means for driving said propeller wheels and feed wheel from said motor, an eccentrically rotative gauge member opposed to said feed wheel, said gauge member being normally spaced relative to said feed wheel to provide clearance for passage of a single bill therebetween but adapted to beengaged by superimposed bills whereby rotative movement is imparted to said gauge member to jam said feed wheel and prevent progress of said bills to said propeller wheels, and a circuit breaker means in said motor circuit adapted to be actuated by said rotative movement of said gauge member to interrupt said circuit and stop the motor.

11. In a bill counting machine having opposed propeller wheels to engage and pass a bill in actuating engagement with counting means, a driven feed wheel in advance of said propeller wheels, an electric motor, a current supply circuit serving said motor, transmission means for driving saidpropeller wheels and feed wheel from said motor, an eccentrically rotative gauge member opposed to said feed wheel, said gauge member being normally spaced relative to said feed wheel to provide clearance for passage of a single bill therebetween but adapted to be engaged by superimposed bills whereby rotative movement is imparted to said gauge member to jam said feed wheel and prevent progress of said bills to said propeller wheels, an auxiliary feed roller carried by said gauge member wd yieldably movable in relation thereto for impingement upon said feed wheel, and a circuit breaker means in said motor circuit, the movable contact element of said circuit breaker means being actuated by said rotative movement of said gauge member to interrupt said circuit and stop the motor.

12. In a machine of the kind described, op

posed propeller wheels to engage and pass a bill or the like therebetween, a feed-wheel means to deliver a bill to said propeller wheels, transmission means for driving said propeller wheels and said feed-wheel means at relative speeds whereby the speed of the propeller wheels is somewhat higher than that of the feed-wheel, an eccentrically rotative rearwardly yieldable gauge member cooperative with said feed-wheel means and adapted, by jamming action relative to said ieed- Wheel, to arrest passage to the propeller wheels of a plurality of accidentally superposed bill thicknesses, a counting wheel, and a counting wheel operating means adapted to be actuated by a bill while thelatter is stretched from said i,

feed-wheel means under propulsion by said propeller wheels.

EDWARD P. DONNELLAN. 

